The two vessels, based on PFG’s proven Aquatruck Responder design, will be delivered to Brisbane and Darwin, represent the next generation of oil recovery watercraft.  These vessels are designed to be mobile and highly-manoeuvrable in order to be able to rapidly respond to environmental oil spill incidents and to be able to efficiently recover floating oil and oil debris which can be disastrous for the environment.  Oil spreads out rapidly across the water surface to form a thin layer which can be very harmful to marine ecosystems and needs to be contained quickly.

The vessels, designed by One2three Naval Architects and constructed in high density polyethylene (HDPE) will be high-performing and durable with significantly reduced whole of life operating costs. HDPE is easily repaired in-situ with no hot works, allowing reliability and therefore less downtime of the vessel.

PFG Senior Business Development Manager, Stephen McCullum said today that PFG’s Aquatruck range of work boats offered proven performance based on over 25 years’ experience of constructing hard-working vessels for Australian coastal conditions.

“Aquatrucks are legendary in the Australian maritime industry as reliable and virtually indestructible work boats,” Mr McCullum said,

“These new vessels are designed specifically to operate at a high level of performance and reliability and will be at the front line of protecting Australia’s precious coastline.”

The AMSA contract follows PFG’s recent announcement that it had secured agreement to design and construct three Sentinel 12.5 metre craft for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The post PFG’S OIL RECOVERY VESSELS TO DELIVER ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS appeared first on PFG.

Hobart based boat builder PFG, today announced that through an open Tender process, it had secured a contract valued at approximately $6 million with the New Zealand Defence Force to design and construct three 12.5 metre, high-speed Littoral Manoeuvre Craft (LMC). These watercraft, will be fully constructed from next generation boat building material, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

PFG’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Inches said today that the awarding of the contract was recognition of over 25 years’ experience the company has had in the building of durable and safe high-performance boats.

We have been building boats with HDPE for over 25 years, mainly for use in the aquaculture industry. However, with our Sentinel Tactical Watercraft branded boats, we have had success more recently in the police and emergency services sectors”, Mr Inches stated.

“Our boats are renowned for being virtually indestructible, can’t corrode or suffer from electrolyses and renown don’t ever require painting resulting in comparably low whole of life costs.

“The boat hulls are 100% recyclable, and of course being built in Tasmania, they are constructed using 100% renewable energy. We are also delighted that we have been able to partner with New Zealand industry with the inclusion of the highly renowned Hamilton Jet water propulsion units and General Marine Services of Auckland who are both major equipment suppliers and sustainment partners for the program.

“Due to the design excellence of a partner naval architects, One2Three of Sydney, and PFG’s craftmanship in building quality, the boats perform to a very high level, offering strength, reliability, manoeuvrability and crew safety that is unmatched in this class of craft.

“We are also proud that these craft are being built in a region such as Tasmania, a State with a boat building heritage stretching back over 200 years,” Mr Inches said.

“The LMC’s will provide the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) with an improved ability to detect and respond to underwater threats, support expeditionary reconnaissance and provide an agile platform for the transport of troops and materiel.

“It is also important that the LMCs are capable of performing multiple roles and tasks and be able to operate in a forward command role as required.

“We are proud of our Sentinel craft and proud of the team we have assembled who will deliver them. We are also delighted to work with the RNZN to develop a boat that will set a new bench mark in meeting the needs of a modern defence force,” Mr Inches said.

The post TASMANIAN BOAT BUILDER ANNOUNCES NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE CONTRACT appeared first on PFG.

World Champion Axeman, David Foster OAM took a swing at high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to see if he could break through the tough material.

The aluminium buckled significantly and came close to tearing. Apart from scuff marks, the HDPE remained unblemished.

We make all our tactical watercraft out of HDPE.

A superior marine construction material due to its everlasting strength without corrosion.

HDPE construction material absorbs vibration, which enhances benefits to the crew and passengers.

• There is no corrosion or electrolysis
• The material is easy to maintain, which improves availability and reliability
• HDPE lasts four times longer than aluminium

Built to withstand the harshest environments our boats are so durable that the first vessel built back in 1994 remains in commercial survey.

See how HDPE stands up against aluminium in the video below.

The post WHAT DO WORLD CHAMPION AXEMAN DAVID FOSTER AND THE SENTINEL TACTICAL WATERCRAFT HAVE IN COMMON? appeared first on PFG.